The Hindu 05..01.2015
Decision on notifying master plan to be taken up soon
MUDA to hold meeting with Siddaramaiah on Thursday
Government has to take a final decision on notifying the master plan
within the next three months, consequent to a court directive.— PHOTO:
M.A. SRIRAM
A decision on notifying the Mysore Master Plan 2031 will
be taken up soon and a crucial meeting will take place in Bengaluru
between the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) and Chief Minister
Siddaramaiah on Thursday.
The Mysore-Nanjangud Local
Planning Area – 2031 or simply the ‘Mysore Master Plan – 2031’ was
unveiled in August 2012 but is yet to be notified following stringent
criticisms against it.
MUDA chairman K.R. Mohan Kumar told
The Hindu
that both the Chief Minister and the district in-charge Minister have
been apprised of the urgency of notifying the plan, without which
planning by local bodies would be held up.
‘Govt. to decide’
“The
final decision is left to the government to either accept the plan or
reject it, though it is unlikely that the entire exercise would be
allowed to go waste,” said Mr. Kumar.
Whatever the
outcome of the January 8 meeting, the government has to take a final
decision on notifying the master plan within the next three months
consequent to a court directive, he pointed out.
“The
court took cognisance of the delay in notification after a petition was
filed and gave eight months time to the government, of which five
months is already over,” the MUDA chairman added.
There
were more than 1,880 objections to the original master plan document
from members of the public, including NGOs and bodies like the Builders
Association of India and the Confederation of Real Estate Developers
Association of India (CREDAI), who sought a higher floor-area ratio in
the city.
The objections were filed when the BJP was
at the helm of affairs in Karnataka. The government incorporated the
suggestions and carried out modifications to the original plan. However,
there was a new government before the plan could be notified, giving
the new MLAs another opportunity to incorporate their suggestions.
Mr. Kumar said the revised document was ready but it had to be notified for legal sanctity.
“It
is mandatory for the government not only to place the objections on
record but spell out the reasons for overruling the objections.
Otherwise the exercise of calling for objections would be reduced to a
mockery of public involvement,” said H.V.S. Murthy, an advocate.
